Common and well-documented side effects of psychiatric drugs include mania, psychosis, hallucinations, depersonalization, suicidal ideation, heart attack, stroke and sudden death. Not only that, but The US Food and Drug Administration admits that probably one to ten percent of all the adverse drug effects are actually reported by patients or physicians.
The initial self-mutilation rate for Prozac was as high as 15% Do research on Cymbalta and hanging suicide, a subject I know personally from losing someone. I have worked with teens ruined from years of Ritalin. I know someone who almost lost their life from Xanax addiction (not a psychotropic but used in psychiatric treatment of anxiety). This list can go on and on but the point is that God does not solve our problems by creating others. I am not anti-medication. I am anti-medication that does not truly solve the problem it is addressing. If I am sick I will take an antibiotic. But do not try and give me an anti-seizure medication because the Pharmaceutical Company lobbied the FDA for approval to market it for nerve pain relief (true story). Do not offer me pills to address an imaginary "restless leg syndrome" condition you do not even know I have (true story). Do not offer me a serotonin reuptake inhibitor when you do not actually know if there is anything wrong with my serotonin levels (which cannot actually be measured). For those who do not know what these are here is the definition from Wikipedia:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. The exact mechanism of action of SSRIs is unknown.
The exact mechanism of action is unknown. Wow. That means they have no idea how or why it might work. Do you think God seriously had anything to do with creating that? Do you know that when you see the word sorcery in your bible it is translated "pharmakeia"; which is where we get our modern word for pharmaceuticals? Now, can you experience symptom relief through psychiatric drugs? Sure, many do. Many others do not survive them however and my objection is in claiming God had anything to do with it. Realize those that may experience relief are now reliant upon the drug and not God. That is not even getting into the long term side effects of using such drugs. God does not resolve problems by creating others or by allowing 15% of the people He is trying to help mutilate themselves.
Listen beloved. There are no easy answers here. I wish there were. Some of what Katie Dale has said is spot on but a lot of it revealed that she was raised in churchianity and taught very poorly because of it. If she has a restored life through pharmacology, more power to her. I would gladly however show her the gravesites of those who it did not work for. The point is that what worked for you does not mean it will work for everyone and it does not mean that we should not pray and seek true biblical solutions. It certainly does not mean that everything you tried that didn't work must now be classified as a "lie."
Reverend Anthony Wade -- April 18, 2019